UW- Eau Claire Big Man Camp: Non-Senior Standouts

We are back for one final piece recapping what we saw at the first annual UW- Eau Claire Big Man Camp held earlier this month at their brand new indoor facility. We have looked at the top senior OL. We have looked at the standout DL as a whole. All that is left is to look at the non-seniors on the offensive side of the trenches who caught our eyes and there is a lot to talk about. From future D1 locks to prospects well on their way to being hot commodities for the D2 and D3 levels. Let's dive into it!    Gavin is turning himself into one of WI's next to OL prospects. The incoming junior has an elite frame that has really taken off this offseason. He now stands just shy of 6'5" and checks in at 270 lbs. Most importantly for a future OT at the next level, Gavin has a 6'9" wingspan and big, powerful hands. While Gavin does hold an offer from Northern Illinois already I think we are due to see him truly breakout this fall as he puts out fresh tape and gets to show off the work he has put in this offseason. He is becoming more and more agile and flexible in his lower body, giving him even better reactive athleticism in pass protection. His strength on the field stood out too. Gavin easily was able to stand up opponents and shut down any bull rush attempts. He also was able to easily move defenders in the run game drills/battles. Gavin is going to be a riser in the rankings update coming up. Get on this kid early on.     He is only a 2027, but I was pumped to "finally" see Trenton in action. I have been watching him develop over the past 9 months and have always been impressed. Getting to watch him in person reassured my excitement for his future. I didn't get a height measurement but he did check in at 271 lbs, and it was impressive to see how well his frame carries that. As he continues to grow there will be no doubt he could grow to that 300 lbs range that is needed at the D1 level. I have loved watching his technique on tape, but got even more of an appreciation for it in person. Trenton has great flexibility to be able to win with leverage as he gets under the chest of his opponent and either stuffs them at the line or uses his quick feet to mirror them and stay square on their chest as they try to attack his edges. I'm excited to see how the incoming sophomore continues to grow into the position.     Another impressive 2027 that definitely has a future at the next level is [player_tooltip player_id='1126395' first='Orville' last='Blohm']. He checked in at 6'1.5" and 251 lbs with just over a 6'4" wingspan. I was impressed by the patience he showed in 1 on 1 pass protection battles. He didn't reach, let his opponent commit to a path and then shut them down with a stout anchor and a firm initial strike. It will be interesting to see how his frame continues to grow. Right now his future looks like it will be at guard where he can utilize that anchor, lateral agility and overall power to set the tone on the interior.     Another prospect that looks like he will be a name to know for top programs in the region is 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1227023' first='Peyton' last='Schuster']. The 6'4" 265 lbs incoming sophomore is an athlete I have been wanting to get eyes on since his Head Coach put him on our radar. My initial takeaways confirmed my hopes. Peyton is building the blocks that top OT prospects have. A big frame, proper use of his length to make first contact, heavy hands that landed accurate strikes. The incoming sophomore moves that big frame decently well, but I have a feeling that is where we see the biggest jump in his development over the coming years. As he gets more comfortable with his size he is going to become even more effective in pass protection because his ability to mirror pass rush moves with lateral quickness will improve. Even now, he was able to get good depth and use that length to control where the DL went. This kid is going to pop in the coming year. Big things ahead for him.     An incoming junior that coaches will want to know about is the Oconomowoc lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1276435' first='Patrick' last='Roeker']. The OL checked in at an excellent 6'3.5" 297 lbs with a 6'7" wingspan. Patrick already looks the part of a talented IOL prospect and the reps I saw confirmed he is developing the skill set to become one. I loved the physicality the junior brought to his reps. He burst out of his stance and made a powerful strike then kept his feet churning in the run game drills. He did a good job with his hand placement overall but can get even better at repositioning throughout the rep. The lower body is strong and offers the ability to reset the line of scrimmage against DLs. DL were wasting time trying to bull rush him too. Once he set that anchor he was able to stand up his opponents and make them have to make a new plan on the fly. Keep an eye on him this fall.     Matthew was a fresh name on my radar leaving the event after what he showed. The 5'11" 280 lbs incoming junior piled up the wins in 1 on 1 battles while I watched him. Matthew showed off quick feet that used short choppy steps to slide and quickly set his anchor in pass protection. Traits that point towards him being an effective pass protector on the interior. The big man showed very active hands that reset throughout the rep and also were able to hit with violent and accurate punches. I also liked that he proved he could recover if an opponent did get him into an awkward angle or bad positioning at first. Matthew put himself on the map with his efforts.

We are back for one final piece recapping what we saw at the first annual UW- Eau Claire Big Man Camp held earlier this month at their brand new indoor facility. We have looked at the top senior OL. We have looked at the standout DL as a whole. All that is left is to look at the non-seniors on the offensive side of the trenches who caught our eyes and there is a lot to talk about. From future D1 locks to prospects well on their way to being hot commodities for the D2 and D3 levels. Let's dive into it!